The Obama-era program has protected hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children-- known as "Dreamers" -- from being deported.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that President Donald Trump's decision to phase out the program would cause irreparable harm to the roughly 700,000 people it shields.

"We conclude that plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claim that the rescission of DACA -- at least as justified on this record -- is arbitrary, capricious, or otherwise not in accordance with law," the court said in its ruling.

In response, the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court for a review of the injunction.

The program, started in 2012, allows young immigrants who came to the United States as children to apply for a renewable two-year visa to work legally and saves them from fear of deportation. Applicants must have been in the United States at least since 2007 and arrived before they turned 16.

They also must be under the age 31 when DACA went into effect, must be enrolled in school, have a high school diploma, or be a military veteran, and have a mostly clean criminal record.